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The 3 most likely Denver Nuggets to be traded during the draft

By Rowan Fisher-Shotton

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 08: Aaron Gordon #50 of the Denver Nuggets walks onto the court before the game against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena on February 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 08: Aaron Gordon #50 of the Denver Nuggets walks onto the court before the game against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena on February 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 28: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets guards Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on March 28, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 28: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets guards Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on March 28, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

#1 – Will Barton

Without question, the Denver Nugget most likely to be involved in a trade during the 2022 NBA Draft is Will Barton.

As the longest-tenured player on the Nuggets’ roster, it feels hard to imagine this team without Barton. That being said, he’s also 31 years old and is owed $14.4 million next season (fully guaranteed). So, he’s easily the most moveable piece on the roster.

His contract is big enough to match up with better players across the association but still small enough to not scare off potential trade partners. Plus, I can think of a handful of teams that would find value in having a consistent scorer on the wing and a veteran presence in the locker room.

Obviously, with a trade involving Barton alone, Denver wouldn’t be able to make any blockbuster moves for players like Bradley Beal, Donovan Mitchell or Damian Lillard, just to name a few. However, there are still some solid options in that $15-20 million per year range that the Denver Nuggets could acquire.

If Barton gets traded on draft night, I suspect that it will be for a player of similar value but perhaps a better fit schematically. This way the Nuggets get Barton off their books without needing to use up their $8.2 million trade exception, thus taking on a bigger salary then they need to.

Possible Trade

The idea that Denver could trade Will Barton to Washington in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been an ongoing discussion for the past several weeks. Each player is on an expiring deal, they both average around the same in terms of scoring and play a similar role for their respective franchise.

Why this trade, in particular, makes the most sense is because Washington would essentially be moving from pick No. 54 all the way up to pick No. 30 in this year’s draft. In exchange for a player who’s slightly older than KCP and more limited defensively but who was also the Nuggets’ second-leading scorer in 2022. Plus, they would only need to worry about paying him for one more season anyway.

Whereas Denver would receive an upgrade in terms of offensive efficiency, playoff experience and defense with Caldwell-Pope. Both KCP (13.2) and Barton (14.7) averaged similar scoring numbers last year, however, KCP was more efficient across the board. With shooting splits of .435/.390/.890 during the 2021-22 NBA season, compared to Barton’s .438/.365/.803.

KCP is also a far superior defender on and off the ball. In fact, not only is he averaging 0.3 more steals per game over the course of his NBA career compared to Barton. But he also has more defensive win shares (18.2), offensive win shares (16.5), and total win shares (34.6) throughout his nine-year NBA career.

Above all else, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has playoff and championship experience through his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s proven to be an unselfish role player who can make shots and play tough, hard-nosed defense, which is something Mike Malone certainly values.

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